04 February 2008

Sorry it's been so quiet on the Brogfront. Spent the weekend installing a brick walkway at the front of the house (well, I installed half of it. Big shout-out to Neighbor Phillip for his help and guidance. And his rubber mallet).

Anyway, I've been lucky enough to sneak listens at a handful of forthcoming discs. So here are some thoughts:

* Deaf Pedestrians, "...And Other Distractions": Folks who know DP's hilarious song "Hail to the Geek" from TV (including "Beauty and the Geek") will be surprised to hear a set of pretty standard-issue nü-metal from the boys. It's reminiscent of an amped-up Soundgarden. It's good, but it needs more of the levity found in "Geek" (like this line: "I play Dungeons & Dragons/I got a 13th-level halfling fighter-thief./Got seven hit die on my backstab./Sometimes, you know, it's good to be a geek"). Out Feb. 12.

* Tristan Prettyman, "Hello": Jenn and I argue about whether Prettyman (right) sounds more like Paula Cole or Ani DiFranco. Somewhere between the two, which probably tells you all you need to know about her. Check this, her sophomore release, out. Did I mention she's also a schweet, schweet surfer? Out April 15.

* Elvis Costello & the Attractions, "This Year's Model": Wrote about this here, but wanted to let folks know that the live concert on disc two is phenomenal. Taped in February 1978, it's a reminder of how potent Costello's live show was, particularly in the early years. My favorite moment might come from a fan heard screaming at the end of the set, "You son of a bitch!" Out March 4.

What the hell...?

So for a lot of years, my day job was as a writer with the Ledger-Enquirer, a fine newspaper based in Columbus, Ga. Spent much of that as a music writer, and the rest of it writing about pop culture and culture at large. I won some awards and stuff. Whatever.